The idyllic Bay of Islands
Trip Start
Apr 12, 2009
1
10
27
Trip End
Jul 05, 2009
Paihia,
North Island,
New Zealand
Saturday, April 25, 2009
We all then had a memorable lunch in a nice bar before waving off James on his way to South America. Sarah and I plumped for the local 'fush and chups' - 3 meaty and delicately flavoured fillets each(!), encased in the lightest and crispiest batter, sitting atop a mound of superbly cooked chips - for less than 8 quid each. New Zealand's claim is that they do this dish the best in the world, and even as patriotic Brits it's hard to argue on that evidence. We still have chicken tikka masala to claim as the world's best at least :)
An early start the next day on our way out of Auckland had us boarding the big green 'Kiwi Experience' bus at 6.40am to make our way up to The Bay of Islands. After chasing some lost and late (and as it turned out still drunk) Irish gentlemen passengers around Auckland city centre for half an hour we were on our way. This was our first taste of the true population density of NZ - within with 20 minutes driving there were next to no cars on the road and no sign of life other than the occasional farm. We had a quick stop at a cafe for some breakfast and a trip to a honey shop with glass hives and all sorts of flavours of Manuka honey (about £2.50 a jar in case you were wondering Rach/Steve...) before arriving up in Paihia just after lunchtime.
The news was not good on arrival. Due to the wind and rain the sea was 'like a washing machine' with swells of 4.5 metres immediately beyond the bay forcing all boats to remain in the harbour. For a town with it's tourist industry centred around trips out to sea this is quite bad news! In the absence of further entertainment, we took a walk out along the beach pondering if in it's current state Paihia beach was more like Blackpool or Skegness before relaxing in our room and getting ready for the 'Kiwi BBQ' at the Pipi Patch hostel that was our home for the night.
Pipi Patch is every part the quintessential backpacker spot and in the evening after the very tasty BBQ the lively crowd quickly creates a fun party atmosphere under the influence of some bargain booze. Before long the bar was jumping and we agreed it very much had a 'freshers week' feel to it. All in all it made for a very enjoyable evening, helped along nicely by swapping stories with a lovely couple from Hertfordshire. After they retired to bed, we treated ourselves to a bit of a dance on the tables before heading off for some much-needed sleep!
The new day has still not brought any better sea-faring weather with it as I write in late afternoon, although the rain has abated a little and the wind seems to be dying down. Hopefully by the morning the boats will be running again so we can at least get out on the water for a quick ferry trip around the bay before heading back South again. Though we've not managed to see the Bay of Islands at it's resplendent best, we remain philosophical about it - over the course of 3 months we were always going to get our fair share of both good and bad weather during the Oceanic winter. We've still very much enjoyed our time here relaxing safe in the knowledge that we will be able to expend our energy and money in other places along the way.
Next up for us is Rotorua, with an overnight stay back in Auckland tomorrow on the way. It's just started pouring again...any ducks reading this who fancy a trip away please take note!:)
